


Never Forget You

by kayftw



Series: This is Our Song and Dance [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Dom Hartley, M/M, Sub Barry, Unhealthy Relationships, dark themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 17:28:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7693165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayftw/pseuds/kayftw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finally, a continuation!<br/>Continued from I Hate You, I Love You and 'Till I Hear You Sing, part of my This Is Our Song And Dance series.<br/>This one is going to be multiple chapters with different songs helping to act as a theme for each chapter. Chapter Titles will be the songs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Forget You

**Author's Note:**

> "Pay no attention  
> To the lies they try to feed ya  
> It's a wicked, twisted fable  
> He's not stable  
> It's just another box of tricks  
> Some crock of shit  
> And good dreams go  
> Wasted" - No Place Like Home by Todrick Hall

**_Pay no attention_ **  
**_To the man behind the curtain_ **  
**_He's a brainless, heartless, coward_ **  
**_With no power_ **  
**_That's just another trick of his_ **  
**_He ain't no wiz so don't feed his fire_ **

 

The day he’d seen him on the television… his heart seemed to stop. Or… maybe it was speeding up to the point he couldn’t register it anymore. All he knew was that even with his speed on his side, his coffee mug slipped from his fingers, crashing to the floor and making a _huge_ mess.

 

And he didn’t even care. Why? Because it was _him_.

 

He didn’t even know what to do. Pied Piper had made his return, and he hadn’t stuck around long enough to even be _tracked_. The only reason anyone even knew it had been him… was because he’d left a _calling card_.

 

After talking to Joe, he got to finagle his way into getting put on duty for that case. The calling card was simple; a high quality envelope with a green wax seal in the shape of a music note. His hands were trembling, and he had to steady himself as he opened it.

 

Inside he found a small note card with a simple message written in elegance print, emerald ink. The message was simple, but powerful enough Barry nearly collapsed.

 

_Miss me, Scarlet?_

_-Pied Piper ♫_

 

 _ **Jump in my balloon**_  
_**I'll take you higher**_  
_**Take you somewhere over the rainbow**_  
_**Get your ticket to the show**_  
_**Heels clicking, here we go**_  
_**Cause you already know**_  
  
_**There's no place like home**_

 

It was enough that he was back, but to send him a message direct like this…? Had he _known_ Barry would do anything to get to it? To know what he had to say? He felt his eyes grow damp, and he swallowed thickly, blinking the tears back. No… it had been too long, Hartley couldn’t _still_ have so much sway over him. It wasn’t fair. He shook his head, sniffing, and set to focus on his work. He would talk to Cisco and Caitlin about Hartley’s reappearance tonight.

 

… but it seemed that would have to wait, as within twenty four hours of the Pied Piper’s appearance, Rathaway Industries had a _major_ information leak, leading to several dark things being revealed about the company… and more specifically, Hartley’s _parents_.

 

 **_Home is where your deepest scar is_ **  
**_Society will try to cast you where they think your part is_ **  
**_Give awards and accolades to what they think a star is_ **  
**_But go find your home_ **

 

Among accounts of funding queer conversion therapy camps, sending weaponry overseas, and embezzling from their employees own pensions… it was revealed that the Rathaway’s had a child no one knew about; _Jerrie Rathaway_.

 

Barry was beyond shocked, but when a mob began to gather outside of the mansion, his anxiety grew, and he toyed with the ring that hid his suit, nervously glancing between the TV and the cops gathering outside, readying for the worst. Mob control wasn’t really a _Flash_ job, especially when the anger was so well-warranted…

 

… but when the call came in that Jerrie Rathaway was _missing_ , he knew what he had to do. Cisco on the other end, he set off as the Flash, running all around the perimeter, looking for any sign of her.

 

There was nothing. Cisco ran a sweep; cameras and satellite imagery, and found something; a hooded figure holding a child, ducking into alleyways in the Industrial part of Central. That being all he needed, Barry set off. He went to the last known location and branched out.

 

It wasn’t long before he found a man crouching before a little girl; hidden away in an abandoned refinery. “Step away from the girl!” Barry yelled, altering his voice just in case. He had an idea of who it might be, but if it _was_ one of the angry mob…

 

“Heh… hacked into the street cameras, I’m guessing?” A smooth, all too familiar voice spoke, sending chills up Barry’s spine. His eyes widened, and he stopped his vibration.

 

Was this really happening? He wasn’t ready, he hadn’t… Years of prep, and _still_ the thought of what Hartley might say had him barely able to continue standing. Hartley stood, scooping up the child, who clung to him, and turned around.

 

 _Cold blue eyes, seething hatred, a flash of…_ Barry couldn’t breathe. He could remember it so clearly as he looked into those eyes. He remembered being shoved away, those cold words… _You are **nothing** to me, Barry Allen_. He wanted to run. He wasn’t ready to face Hartley, to be rejected _again_.

A squeaky excited noise brought him back to the present. “Eek!” The girl turned to look at Hartley, who quirked an eyebrow at her. She clapped her hands, then pointed. “Ah, um, fash!” She moved her hands in a strange way, and Barry tilted his head. She had to be… seven? Eight? Why wasn’t she speaking? And then Barry saw the _strangest_ sight he’d ever seen.

 

A gentle smile on Hartley’s face. “Yes Jerrie, that’s the Flash.” She squealed with delight, clapping her hands and hugged Hartley around the neck.

 

 **_And if you're lost out there_ **  
**_In the night, wishing on stars_ **  
**_Wonderin' who you are_ **  
**_Just know that you're never alone_ **  
**_And there's no place like home_ **

 

Barry’s brows knit and he tilted his head further, intensely confused. “What’s… Hartley, what’s going on?” He asked, deciding finally he was _not_ about to figure this out on his own.

 

Hartley blew out a breath. “Really, you haven’t gotten _any_ brighter, have you?” He sneered tauntingly. Jerrie touched his face and he turned back, kissing her hands. “She’s my sister. I’m protecting her. _You_ saw that mob.”

 

Barry was feeling completely lost, and Hartley’s words were only making him feel stranger. “I- I get that,” he didn’t, really. He’d honestly been working under the assumption she had been kidnapped and would be held for ransom. “but… _why_? Did you know about her?”

 

Hartley sighed after a moment. “No. I didn’t. _Trust me_ , I had no intention of going back to that place _ever again_ , but… when I heard about her, I had to see for myself.” He gaze softened slightly as she smiled up at him. “… I couldn’t leave her there.”

 

“What about your dad, Hartley? Your mom?” Barry insisted, exhasperated.

 

Hartley scoffed, a bitter, hateful sound. “Who do you think _set_ that mob against them?” He sneered, an old anger in his eyes that Barry remembered all too well.

 

Barry growled, getting impatient. “Why the _hell_ would you do that? You gain nothing from it! Why, after all this time-“ Barry cut himself off, swallowing, leaning back slightly.

 

It was not something Hartley missed. He paused a moment, before speaking quietly. “I don’t think someone like you could understand.” The words hurt, and Barry flinched slightly.

 

“Maybe I could if you’d give me a _chance_ ,” he spoke quietly, and Hartley stilled, a cool air between them, reminding them of the years, the distance… they were no longer close. Maybe they weren’t really ever.

 

“… Regardless,” Hartley said smoothly, pointedly evading Barry’s gaze. “I won’t be sticking around for long. As soon as I find a suitable home for Jerrie, I’ll be gone. I accomplished what I came for. The only reason I’m still here… is for her.”

 

It shouldn’t hurt. After all these years, it _shouldn’t_ hurt. But maybe a small part of him had thought… maybe even _hoped_ that Hartley had returned for him. All those sleepless nights, those longing gazes, that nervous hope… it all felt so… _pointless_. Hartley didn’t even care. But then… why the note? Why go out of his way to announce himself?

 

Barry opened his mouth to ask just that, when he remembered something. “Hey, I’m going to disconnect for a bit. Keep you updated in a bit. “Wait, what? Barry, man, don’t-“ He clicked the comm off and sighed, glad to be free of its reigns. Seeming to pick up on the shift, Hartley pointedly kept his gaze outside of the window.

 

“Why’d you leave that note for me? If you were just coming back to expose your parents,” he began, his voice harsh, until Jerrie made a worried sound.

 

Hartley rolled his eyes. “I had to announce myself,” he began. “So _that man_ would know I was coming for him. I wanted him to see the end coming.”

 

“That’s such bull-“ Barry stopped, glancing at Jerrie. “… bologna, Hartley, and you know it. You addressed it to _me_. You made sure _I_ read it. Why?”

 

Hartley pursed his lips, but evaded the other’s gaze. “Hartley…” Barry’s voice was quieter. “Just… let me in, just a _little_ ,” he pleaded. “It’s been years… we can let the past be.”

 

Hartley’s gaze snapped up, shocked, and then _angry_. The colorful show of emotion had Barry stepping back slightly, blinking in surprise. He was pretty sure if not for his baby sister’s presence, Hartley _may_ have attacked him right then. He took a moment to calm down, before speaking. “… fine. But only if we leave it _all_ in the past.”

 

Barry knew the words were meant to hurt… but he didn’t care. Something about it gave him such _hope_ , he couldn’t help but nod eagerly, his eyebrows raised and his lips parted, a breathless, “ _okay_ ” leaving him.

 

Hartley pursed his lips, looking displeased. He opened his mouth to say something, when Barry’s phone went off. Seeing a text about the mob turning violent, his eyebrows flew up. “Shoot!” He looked up, staring at Hartley. “I… this isn’t over, okay? I _will_ find you,” Barry insisted, before running off.

 

He hadn’t felt so light in what seemed like a lifetime.

 

 **_And we gon' fight and we gon' cry_ **  
**_And I'm gon' fight for you until I die_ **  
**_Right there is right where you belong_ **  
**_And there's no place like home_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Note; Jerrie Rathaway has a developmental disability (it doesn't specify what in the comics) so I am just going with how I am comfortable writing it. I won't be going into too much detail with it as I don't have much information, but I think she is _very_ important to Hartley's character.  
>   
> ..::Special shoutouts!::..  
>  Lucifer_Luci for showing me a song that got my creative juices flowing again. That song will DEFINITELY be a theme song in an upcoming chapter!  
> DezeraCain for pushing me to write.


End file.
